


A Silence

by BetweenPaperPages



Series: Truth in Music [2]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Gen, Music, Once Upon A Time, Rumbelle - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-06
Updated: 2017-10-06
Packaged: 2019-01-09 16:19:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12280092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BetweenPaperPages/pseuds/BetweenPaperPages
Summary: Belle finds her apartment far too quiet while reading.Beta: Ishtarelisheba & Lizandletdie





	A Silence

Belle heard a silence.

A silence that was quite unusual for the time of day that it was. Her eyes flicked down to her wrist, rolling it over to read the hands on her silver watch, 8:45 pm.

When she had sat down in the balcony to read that evening she had no reason to believe that anything was wrong in any kind of way, however; after having to go back and re-read the last five pages of her book (for the third time) she knew something was off.

She sighed, snapping her book shut, the sudden noise bringing her to the realization as to just what was missing: music. She had been reading for nearly an hour in utter silence, for a librarian one wouldn't find it odd but she was at home, not the library.

Perhaps her neighbor was gone for the night? Belle stood up, leaving her book behind to lean on the railing, pushing up onto tip toes to crane her neck for a look at their balcony. Everything seemed to be as normal as usual, including the opened window, but there was certainly no sound drifting out.

Her weight settled back down on her heels with a huff of disappointment, she really did enjoy the music that they played, she hadn’t realised how accustomed she had become to it. A glance back to her book confirmed it to her, without the usual soundtrack of the music, she wasn’t going to be able to focus on her book.

Perhaps tomorrow.

**_________________________________________________________________________________________________________**

With summer coming to an end September had begun to settle into Storybrooke on its heels. With it also came the cold mornings that gradually heated up to pleasant afternoons before cool evenings settled in.

Belle wasn’t one to really rely upon the newspaper or weather reports; when you lived in a small town you usually caught up on it fairly quickly, it was a go-to conversation piece. The library had seen a rush of patrons that afternoon, some getting out of the winds that had picked up and others checking out books to read in case power was lost.

Through the afternoon the storm had picked up and was continuing to get more aggressive, the winds picking up and the rain crept in to cover the town, starting with a drizzle and building itself up.

Belle had thought when she left the library she’d make it home in time before the worst of the storm hit, however; the storm decided to prove her wrong.

By the time that she had reached home she had been soaked through to the bone, no thanks to her umbrella having been blown inside out. She was in deep need of a hot bath and at least one, if not two, cups of tea.

So much for reading on the balcony tonight.

**_________________________________________________________________________________________________________**

The following day didn’t fair much better, the harshest part of the storm had passed over the town but the rain still lingered on. Rain pattered against the library’s windows, combined with the soft light, it gave the space a very cozy environment.

Too cozy, at one point Belle found herself sitting at her desk, a hand resting against her cheek trying to prevent herself from lolling to sleep. Truly Wednesdays had to be named the most uneventful day of the week around their town.

With the weather still being gray and cold that evening there wasn’t really a chance to read on the balcony that night. If the weather continued to get bleaker and bleaker as quickly as the storm had swept in Belle knew she was going to have to find a new reading habit for the cold months.

Since the outside nook would be out of the question she simply had to create one inside of her apartment that would suffice.  

Under one of the windows in the living room she pulled out a old futon mattress she had stored away for guests, folding it in half so it rested against the wall. A quick search of some _still_ unpacked boxes she had lead her to extra bedding, wrapping the futon in a fitted sheet helped along with a couple of knit blankets and a few throw pillows.

With the reading nook tucked into the corner of the room it still gave a full view of the sliding glass door to the balcony offering somewhat of a view. The only thing that was left to do was to break it in with a book, though with a glance to the clock showing that it was already 8:30 PM it was clear that there wouldn't be any music that evening to accompany her.

Maybe another day.

**_________________________________________________________________________________________________________**

Belle was sure that Ruby could find an excuse to celebrate or have a night out on any day of the week, it really was a hidden talent. Her excuse this time? It had been officially four months since Belle moved to Storybrooke.

She had rolled her eyes at the idea of it, most people didn’t celebrate a “move-in-anniversary” as Ruby called it, but she couldn’t see the harm in it. It would shake up the mundane of the week and the off way she had been feeling the last few days. Maybe a girls night out on the town was just what she needed.

There would be music at the Rabbit Hole.

**_________________________________________________________________________________________________________**

One benefit of living in a small town was that most people knew everyone and if there was someone you didn’t know, it was most likely that you knew someone who did. Sure, there were people who would stick their nose into other people’s business where it didn’t belong, but it came with the territory.

Since the library was open regular hours Monday through Thursday, Friday and Saturday were short days to accommodate other activities. Most visitors on Fridays were returning books and Saturday followed with study sessions held by the local high school students.

Belle didn’t mind the six day work week since two of them were short, giving her the chance to be out of the library typically by two in the afternoon, giving her the rest of day for whatever she need to take care of.

She took care of a few errands around town, making sure she had a chance to check in to the local thrift shop. There really wasn't a bookstore in town since the library took care of most of their needs but she always enjoyed picking up something new to read. Sure, she could order just about anything online but why not rescue an unwanted book?

While she was collecting her finds a white china cup caught her eye, the dish was elegant with soft curves, gold detail, and a simple blue tree design painted across it. It and its saucer had been set off to a side shelf as if someone had considered purchasing it at one time and changed their mind at the last minute.

Something about the design called out to her, in a way it reminded her of her neighbor’s music, soft and delicate without being harsh or complicated. It didn’t take a moment more before she collected the piece to add to her finds.

\-   -   -

Belle hummed as she headed downstairs to the lobby of the complex, playing with the ends of her blue scarf as she stepped off the last stair. Her lips spread into a smile at the sight of their mailman at the wall of boxes or mail-woman more so.

“Hey stranger!”

“Hmm?” The tall, lanky red-head stood up from where she was knelt down over her carrier bag, looking over to see who was speaking.

“Belle! Stranger indeed, I haven’t see you around!” Ariel laughed, throwing her arms around Belle in a brief hug. “What are you getting up to today?”

She took a step back to jingle her mailbox key in front of her. “I’m on the adventure of collecting mail, though, it looks like we are on the same journey.”

Ariel giggled, holding up a bundle of envelopes as evidence, “Almost, I mostly have delivery today. Doesn’t seem like there is a lot of out-going today.”  She ran her finger down the silver doors to double check the numbers before opening number twenty-nine with her master key, tutting at the lack of space in the box.

“Belle, have you seen your neighbor from twenty-eight at all this week? Mr. Gold? His box is so full I haven’t been able to drop off anything in at least four days now.”

“Actually, I’ve never meet him before. I haven’t heard anything at all this past week which is really odd.”

Ariel sighed with a glance back at the box. Typically at this point she would have to leave a message in the box that there was more mail and it would have to be collected at the post office. Only meaning that she had dragged around extra weight in her carrier bag for no reason other than to show it around town. 

Belle already had her mail box open as she pulled out a few slim envelopes before glancing over to see Ariel perched on it like a bird, her eyes wide and hopeful.

“Yes?”

“Belle, could you do me a favor and drop these off to him? I really don't want to have to drag them back down to the office, please? And you know, make sure he hasn’t dropped dead or anything?”

She simply blinked at Ariel with a deadpan expression across her face before holding out her hand for the stack. “I’m sure if he was dead I would have noticed by now Ariel.”

Ariel squeaked as she handed over the mail, “You are the best!”

\-   -   -

When she had originally agreed to take her neighbor’s mail to them, Belle hadn’t realized just how much there was. Ariel ended up sticking her with two boxes and three stacks of rubber band envelopes along with her own to take back up. The boxes were more heavy than they were awkward, though Belle couldn’t help but wonder just what was inside them.

She set the packages down in front of her neighbor’s door, hesitating for a moment as she bit her lip. She had been listening to his music for a while now but she had yet to introduce herself in a way it just felt — wrong, almost like intruding on someone’s privacy. Belle knew his music far more than she knew him. Before there was a chance to change her mind she quickly rapped her knuckles against the door, the sound echoing down the empty corridor. Was their building really so quiet?

The sound of some scuffled papers and a chair moving could faintly be heard beyond the front door before a husky, accented voice called out, “Just a moment!”

A few more ruffles of paper sounded through before the door cracked open enough to let sound pass through, but certainly in no manner was Belle able to see inside of the living space.

“Yes?”

“Oh! Um, hi Mr. Gold? It’s your neighbor Belle, Belle French.” She bit her lip in hesitation again, blinking at the solid mass of the door she was speaking to. “From apartment twenty-seven?”

A heavy cough sounded from the other side, causing his accent to deepen when he spoke again. “Yes, you are the new librarian, correct?” A sneeze echoed through the apartment behind him followed by a few sniffles.

Belle nodded in agreement for a moment before she caught on, clearing her throat from the delay. “Yes, I am.”

“Apologies, Miss. French I’d introduce myself properly but I’m rather ill. I’d rather not pass it along. What can I do for you?”

“I didn’t mean to disrupt your rest, I’m sorry. It's just that I was getting my mail and Ariel, the mailwoman, had quite a bit for you. She asked if I could drop it off since your mail hadn’t been picked up for a while.”

A warm laugh passed from Mr. Gold and Belle couldn’t help to wonder if he possibly sang with his music at all. She hadn’t heard him before, did he sing with or without his accent?

“Oh I’m sure it's rather piled up, I’ve been expecting quite a few things from work. Would you do me a favor dearie and leave it next to my door?”

“Not at all! Is there anything else I can do?” Belle moved the boxes over some more, out of the door’s swing and placed the pile of envelopes on top. “Do you want me to pick you up anything? Chicken soup? Apple pie? Bottle of whiskey?”

Gold let out a deep chuckle at her offer, his laugh spurring him into another coughing fit. “No. No that’s quite alright. You’ve already done enough, thank you Miss. French.”

“You’re welcome... If you do need anything though, feel free to knock on my door anytime. If I’m not at home I’ll be at the —”

“The library.”

Belle giggled, her lips pulling into a smile. “Yeah, I’ll be there. Feel better soon Mr. Gold.”

“I already do.”

\-   -   -

Belle couldn’t shake the smile off her face as she wandered into her own apartment, dropping her keys off on a side table along with her mail. It was the first time she had properly spoken to Mr. Gold, sure everyone around town had their own opinion of him, but they did so with everyone else. Small towns always created gossip of some kind, she was sure if they didn’t most residents would die of boredom within a year of living in one.   

Even if Mr. Gold was a familiar face around town, no one really seemed to know much about him, perhaps that was the reason there was so much speculation. People were simply trying to fill in the missing pieces of information.

She was a firm believer the best way to get to know a person was to simply ask them about themselves, however; that didn’t seem like it would happen any time soon, not with how ill he was feeling.

Belle huffed, settling her hands on either of her hips, her gaze wandering her space. Seemed that it would still be a while yet before music started drifting into her apartment again, not until Mr. Gold was feeling better.

She had hoped he would take her up on the offer of help but she wasn’t going to push the matter. She glanced around one more time, her eyes coming back to the side table where her keys laid besides a basket she kept her mail in, where just next to it sat the china cup she had found earlier that week, her lips splitting into a smile.

Okay, so perhaps she couldn’t push her help on him, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t wish him well. Belle was sure she could handle the silence a little while longer.

\-   -   -

A while later more knocks were rapped against the door of apartment twenty-eight for a second time that day. Instead of a neighbor delivering a over-stuffed mailbox simply sat a filled basket. Inside rested an assortment of teas, a book of music, honey dipped spoons, and in the center a very delicate white and blue tea cup.  


End file.
